Ordinary 13

Ordinary 13
July 2, 2006

by Jude Siciliano, OP

Wisdom 1: 13-15; 2: 23-24
Psalm 30
2 Cor. 8: 7, 9, 13-15
Mark 5: 21-43

Dear Preachers: There is a treasure trove that, I dare say, we preachers tend to ignore. How often do we preach from the psalm that follows the first reading? I am an itinerant preacher and I find it hard to plan a preaching from the psalm because I don't know what a parish will do at the Sunday liturgies. Sometimes a choir prepares a sung response only loosely based on the psalm; or a hymn is used as a substitute; or a children's liturgy has a "special hymn" instead of the psalm, etc. So, I don't take chances and stick to one of the other readings. But I have given retreats based on the psalms and have always found the experience very rich. If you are sure that Psalm 30 is going to be used this weekend, why not take a chance and focus your preaching on it? If you are not a preacher, then try using the psalm for your prayer and reflection in preparation for Sunday's liturgy. When the psalm is prayed after the first reading your preparation will help make the psalm become your own prayer.

The psalm is a unique moment in the Sunday liturgy; it gives the congregation a chance to get verbally involved in the scriptures. Since the psalms are poetry they have more overt emotional content and, when this poetry is put to music, the effects on the congregation can be quite immediate and penetrating. With the help of a good choir or cantor I often find myself becoming more attentive to the psalm and frequently the words and melody stay with me after the worship.

Since the psalms almost always address God, they help us quickly shift into a prayer mode. They speak, in the first person, singular or plural, and that helps them become our own prayer. Other scriptures at the liturgy require some reflection and application, but the psalms are immediately accessible; they help us address God about serious human issues: pain, loss, celebration, gratitude, praise, thanksgiving, etc.

The psalms can give us words when we search for ways to express our grief, joy or pain. They include us in the long tradition of our ancestors who have, through their varied history, prayed the psalms. Jesus' prayer was formed by the psalms and quotes from the psalms are sprinkled throughout the New Testament and sometimes placed on the lips of Jesus.

There is probably not a liturgical function in the church that doesn't include at least one psalm. They usually follow a first reading from the Hebrew scriptures, as they do at Eucharist, chosen as a "response" to the reading. So, reflecting on that reading will help give access to the psalm, as will reflection on the psalm bring out the riches of the first reading. In addition, the first reading was picked to go with the gospel, for example as a prophetic foreshadowing, or to show the consistency between the two testaments. Thus the psalm is indirectly connected to the gospel and so can be a prayer response to the gospel.

Enough said! I hope this longer-than-usual introduction will prove and incentive and get you to preach from the psalms and make them a regular part of your prayer life, if they are not already. Let's look at today's psalm and probe it for preaching and prayer possibilities. Psalms are divided into categories: individual and communal laments (the majority fall in this category), praise, thanksgiving, penance, confidence, etc. Psalm 30 falls into the thanksgiving group and, as noted above, follows the pattern as a response to the first reading from the book of Wisdom.

The Wisdom reading was chosen to go with Mark's account of Jesus' cure of the woman with the hemorrhage and his raising of Jairus' daughter. Jesus' power over sickness and especially death, is reflected in Wisdom's exposition of God's power in those areas. We are told that humans were created by God "to be imperishable," since they were formed in the image of God's "own nature." God is immortal and so are humans created in God's image. Death didn't come from God's hand, rather, by "the envy of the devil, death entered the world...." The boundaries are clearly marked: God on the side of life, the evil one on the side of death. Death here is not just physical death, but also spiritual death. Since, "justice is undying," those in good relationship with God and neighbor have God's imperishable life.

We can see why Psalm 30 was chosen as a response to the Wisdom reading. The psalm is a prayer of thanksgiving for having been saved from a crises. The psalmist thanks God for having been rescued from death or some form of death, like a serious illness or the spiritual death that comes with sin. Originally the psalm may have been used as a prayer of thanksgiving, because the temple that had been destroyed by Antiochus, was restored in the time of the Maccabees. The destruction of the temple was a severe blow to the Jewish people, a spiritual death for the community's life and worship. But, since the psalm is written in the first person and has a very personal tone, it is a prayer that can be used by an individual or community as a reflection on what God has done for them.

The psalm begins by stating its focus: God has delivered the psalmist. Here, as throughout the entire bible, we see a repetition of a basic motif: God takes the initiative to save a people who can't deliver themselves. The psalmist knows the nature of God's grace, it is a free gift. What caused God to act? The psalmist or community's inability to save themselves. The same message carries through the gospel. The woman with the hemorrhage cannot help herself for she has "...exhausted her savings in the process," and Jairus' daughter is already dead.

How bad was the psalmist's situation? Notice the images used to describe it: "the nether world," "the pit," and "mourning." The psalmist, rescued from the threat of death, realizes the source of that rescue and invites the hearers to join in celebrating God's work. We are invited into a musical response to what God has done, "Sing praise to the Lord, you faithful ones." They must be gathered for worship, the way we are at this eucharistic celebration. We take the psalmist's prompting and sing praise---with gusto. (The choir director will love you if you say that!)

When in our lives did we feel we had exhausted our energies, resources and even the desire to pray? How did God rescue us? Who were the instruments of that rescue? "Sing praise to the Lord...." The psalm also nudges us to look at what is happening in our lives now and to reflect on how we are experiencing the hand of God working with us. Was there a moment when the psalmist forgot that he/she was just the creature and God the creator? Perhaps that "forgetfulness" prompts the prayer for pity towards the end of the psalm. The psalmist proclaims faith in that mercy, for God's good will lasts "a lifetime" and so, throughout the psalmist's life, there will always be God's mercy and good will.

There are times when we know we cannot continue on our own. Maybe we have gotten ourselves into a "pit"; maybe life has thrown us down into the "nether world." If so, this psalm, besides being a prayer of thanksgiving for past rescues, is a prayer of faith, acknowledging that God sees our current situation and will come to be at our "right hand." ("With God at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.") On our own power, we bottom out; but God's power is inexhaustible. That power comes through clearly in today's gospel and is shown in Jesus' double healing of people in dire straits---similar to the psalmist's.

The psalmist's plight is never spelled out. While this does not satisfy our curiosity, it does render the psalm applicable as a prayer for diverse situations. Each of us can pray it as a thanks for deliverance from an interior or exterior affliction. This prayer of thanksgiving is also an assurance for those still in need of deliverance: if God came to help in a past need, then God can do it again for a present one.

How long will this prayer of thanksgiving last? The psalmist says "...forever will, I give you thanks." Our Eucharist today is part of that "forever." It is the prayer of thanksgiving that we will pray together throughout our lifetime until it comes to fulness and completion in the eternal banquet. Today's Eucharist and Psalm 30 remind us again that God's power is inexhaustible, everlasting and available to us in any situation in which we find that our mere human resources have run out.

READER'S RESPONSE

The song, "Where were you?" of Bob Dufford, S.J. captures in word and melody the book of Job very powerfully.
-from David Jackson, SCJ. (In response to last week's Book of Job comments.)

ONE GOOD BOOK FOR THE PREACHER

Irene Nowell, SING A NEW SONG: THE PSALMS IN THE SUNDAY LECTIONARY. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1993. Paper, ISBN 0-8146-2043-4, $19.95.
This is an excellent commentary on the psalms used at Sunday Eucharists and major feasts. The liturgical seasons in which the psalms appear are also part of the discussion. The Sundays on which the same psalm occurs are grouped and the commentary gives the exegetical background, but also addresses the psalms in relation to the specific reading for which they are the response. Very useful for preachers, liturgy planners and those interested in a fuller reflection on the Sunday scriptures.

QUOTABLE

"There are a few psalms in which the subject is primarily a recitation of the history of God's people. The content centers on the major events of exodus, desert wandering, and the entrance into the land....
Why do we pray our history? The answer is at the foundation of all liturgy. We pray in order to remember. The power of the community memory brings God's saving action of the past into the present. Christians have used the Greek word anamnesis, "memorial," to refer to the celebration of the Eucharist in which we remember that "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." Our remembering together brings the saving action of Christ--past and future---into our present. The historical psalms have a similar function. We pray our history in order to remember. We remember in order to bring God's salvation into our own time." - Irene Nowell, commenting on the historical psalms, page 5.

JUSTICE NOTES

" As a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs."
(2 Corinthians 8: 13b-14)

Just as a family's budget reflects a family's priorities, so too our national budget is a mirror of our nation's priorities. As we celebrate our nation's birthday, today's reading encourages us to reflect on whether, as a nation, we are providing for those in need from our "abundance."

Network, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, which urges legislation consistent with Catholic Social Teaching, offers the following reflection:

Community and the Common Good
"Our nation's well being is dependent on the well being of all its members. The budget should reflect a commitment to the common good by ensuring that the basic needs of all members of society are met. At this time, when nearly 46 million Americans are uninsured, 37 million live in poverty and one in five children lives in a household experiencing food insecurity, additional cuts to critical human needs programs cannot be justified. "

"Investments in education, job training, work supports, healthcare, housing, food assistance and environmental protection promote opportunity for all and strengthen families and communities. These should be budget priorities.".
Concern for Those Who Are Poor and Vulnerable
"All budget decisions and administrative procedures must be judged by their impact on children, low-income families, the elderly, people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. Whatever one's position on the war in Iraq or on the tax cuts, these policies are driving the deficit. Attempting to pay off the deficit by cutting programs that affect needy populations, when these programs did not lead to the deficit, is unjust. "

Economic Justice
"God has created a world of sufficiency for all. Our government should be a tool to correct inequalities, not a means of institutionalizing them. The federal budget should share the burdens of taxation, according to one's ability to pay, and distribute government resources fairly to create opportunity for all."

To read about the Catholic Social Teaching work of Network, visit http://www.networklobby.org.

[Submitted by Anne and Bill Werdel, from the parish bulletin of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh, NC]

POSTCARDS TO DEATH ROW INMATES

"It is time to abandon the death penalty -- not just because of what it does to those who are executed, but because of how it diminishes all of us... We ask all Catholics--pastors, catechists, educators and parishioners -- to join us in rethinking this difficult issue and committing ourselves to pursuing justice without vengeance. With our Holy Father, we seek to build a society so committed to human life that it will not sanction the killing of any human person.
------( "Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice," U.S. Catholic Bishops, Nov. 2000,)
Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates' names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or, whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If you like, tell them you heard about them through North Carolina's, "People of Faith Against the Death Penalty." Thanks, Jude Siciliano, OP
Please write to:........................................
Michael D. Holmes #0189289 (On death row since 9/8/00 )
Marcus D. Jones, Sr. 0217326 (11/9/00)
Shane E. Carter #0486636 (3/19/01)
---Central Prison 1300 Western Blvd. Raleigh, NC 27606

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CD Available: "FIRST IMPRESSIONS: PREACHING REFLECTIONS ON LITURGICAL YEAR B" This compilation, from past "First Impressions," includes two reflections on almost all Sundays and major feasts for this liturgical year. For more information and to purchase go to: http://judeop.ispraleigh.com/

ABOUT DONATIONS: If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Jude Siciliano, O.P., Make checks to "Dominican Friars of Raleigh." Mail contributions to: Jude Siciliano, O.P., Dominican Friars of Raleigh, P.O. Box 12927, Raleigh, N.C. 27605

REGULAR INFORMATION

I get notes from people responding to these reflections. Sometimes they tell how they use "First Impressions" in their ministry and for personal use. Others respond to the reflections, make suggestions and additions. I think our readers would benefit from these additional thoughts. If you drop me a BRIEF note, I will be happy to add your thoughts and reflections to my own. (Judeop@Juno.com)

Our webpage addresses:
(Where you will find "Preachers' Exchange," which includes these reflections and Homilias Dominicales, as well as articles, book reviews and quotes pertinent to preaching.)
http://www.opsouth.org Under "Preachers' Exchange"
http://www.op.org/exchange/

"Homilias Dominicales"-- these Spanish reflections are written by four friars of the Southern Dominican Province experienced in Hispanic Ministry, Isidore Vicente, Carmen Mele, Brian Pierce and Juan Martin Torres. Like "First Impressions", "Homilias Dominicales" are a preacher's early reflections on the upcoming Sunday readings and liturgy. So, if you or a friend would like to receive "Homilias Dominicales" drop a note to John Boll, O.P. at: jboll@opsouth.org
"First Impressions" is a service to preachers and those wishing to prepare for Sunday worship. It is sponsored by the Southern Dominican Province, U.S.A. If you would like "First Impressions" sent weekly to a friend, send a note to John Boll at the above Email address.
If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to:
Jude Siciliano, OP, Promoter of Preaching
Southern Dominican Province, USA
P.O. Box 12927,
Raleigh, N.C. 27605
(919) 833-1893
Make checks to: Dominican Friars of Raleigh.
Thank you.